According to the Golden Dawn tradition, the title for the Three of Swords is “Sorrow.”  Of all the Minor Arcana Tarot cards it most clearly presents an image of distress.  However, [...]]]> “You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.” ~Jonathan Safran Foer

According to the Golden Dawn tradition, the title for the Three of Swords is “Sorrow.”  Of all the Minor Arcana Tarot cards it most clearly presents an image of distress.  However, for all of its desolation, this image depicts a certain kind of balance. The three swords are neatly embedded in the heart in the midst of a rainstorm. Sadness requires one reaction–we must take the pain into our hearts, welcome it and go beyond it. The test is to bring the sorrow deeply within us until it is changed completely by love and trust. Pushing the agony away only distances us from the lesson we are being asked to learn.  Oftentimes we ignore the situations or relationships in our lives that are too stressful. We try to avoid any stressful thoughts, but this only serves to cement the hold the pain has on us. The evolution of our healing depends on our ability to accept the heartbreak.

In her book, Who Are You in the Tarot?, Mary K. Greer describes the Three of Swords as a gift.

It is the ability to experience your emotions fully, even pain and heartbreak, so that you don’t get blocked. It is the cleansing and purifying process of grief, through which you let your feelings wash over you and release any anguish that has built up. It says that even in the most loving of relationships there are times of conflict, hurt, and separation.

Creative expression is the best way to recover from sorrow. By allowing yourself to articulate your feelings in a new form you release deep-seated trauma and stress.  Talking with someone in a safe environment can also help. Healing is possible if we release our attachment to the pain.

If you are are feeling the Three of Swords at work in your life, and would like to investigate new ways to find acceptance, the Tarot can help you with your process. Contact me today to schedule your Heroic Tarot reading!

In Tarot readings the presence of Justice (seen above from The Cosmic Tarot) indicates that you have what you deserve.  That is, situations have worked out accordingly from [...]]]> “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ~Benjamin Franklin

In Tarot readings the presence of Justice (seen above from The Cosmic Tarot) indicates that you have what you deserve.  That is, situations have worked out accordingly from what you have sowed in the past. This card also represents complete honesty. It also shows that you can prevent future heartache by learning a lesson in the present. Are you willing to be true to yourself?  Are your relationships (including the one with yourself) in equal partnership? What consequences are you experiencing from a past action and how can you make an adjustment to balance out the energies? Heroic Tarot can assist you in establishing equilibrium!

I have recently moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and usually my in person appointments are limited to that locale at this time.  However, if you reside in San Francisco, I am returning to The City by the Bay for a limited time this May!

Please contact me directly for open appointment times. 

If you reside in anywhere else in the world it would be my pleasure to provide you with a Skype or phone reading.  Here’s how that works.  If after reading my Frequently Asked Questions page you still have questions or concerns please let me know!

All readings must be made by appointment, are an hour and cost $100.  Contact me to schedule yours today!

Also, if you are interested in learning Tarot, read this post about Heroic Tarot Academy!

“It’s time to care; it’s time to take responsibility; it’s time to lead; it’s time for a change; it’s time to be true to our greatest self; it’s time to stop blaming others.” ~Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

The Ace of Pentacles (shown above from the Robin Wood Tarot Deck) is a gift.  It is Earth in all of her glory, bearing [...]]]> “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” ~Robert Louis Stevenson

The Ace of Pentacles (shown above from the Robin Wood Tarot Deck) is a gift.  It is Earth in all of her glory, bearing magic in concrete terms.  This Ace is a new beginning, a seed for a garden of delights, and the realization of one’s intention.  It gives us results via stable structures and our skill sets.  What new project are you starting?  Can you visualize the results?  What would make you feel more grounded?  Heroic Tarot can assist you in bringing your ideas into fruition!

As I have recently moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, my in person appointments are limited to that locale at this time (However, I will be returning to San Francisco for a short time in May).  

If you reside in San Francisco–or anywhere else in the world–it would be my pleasure to provide you with a Skype or phone reading.  Here’s how that works.  If after reading my Frequently Asked Questions page you still have questions or concerns please let me know!

All readings must be made by appointment, are an hour and cost $100.  Contact me to schedule yours today! Also, if you are interested in learning Tarot, read this post about Heroic Tarot Academy!

“When you assess your own life, consider it with the eye of a gardener. Underneath the surface lies rich, fertile soil waiting to nurture the seeds you sow. Even more than you can imagine will grow there if given a chance.” ~Steve Goodier

Would you like to learn how to use the Tarot as a synchronicity attraction system for your own personal transformation?  Heroic Tarot Academy is now accepting [...]]]> It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning.           ~Claude Bernard

Would you like to learn how to use the Tarot as a synchronicity attraction system for your own personal transformation?  Heroic Tarot Academy is now accepting new students! Each class is a one-on-one experience with a specialized curriculum designed for your individual needs.  Storm Ricon is an award-winning Tarot reader with many years of study and years of professional practice. He is currently teaching students with varying degrees of experience and can customize a class for you.

In addition to learning about the Major and Minor Arcana of the Tarot (as separate entities and as a sequence), Heroic Tarot Academy will also teach you Metaphysical Studies including the Runes, Numerology, Astrology, and the Kabalah.

Each class is an hour and a half, costs $160 and is conducted over Skype.  We will set up a schedule that encompasses weekly or bi-weekly classes. Cost of materials equals $20-60 depending on your customized class. You will need to have your own copy of the Rider-Waite deck as illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith.

No matter your level of interest or experience, Heroic Tarot Academy is here to assist you with synchronicity and spiritual communication.  Enroll today!

Throughout history people have told fortunes with all manner of things: scattered bones, the remnants of tea leaves in a cup, tossed coins, watching birds across the sky, anything.  It has only been since the eighteenth century that Tarot has been used to divine intellectual and spiritual pathways.  Yet [...]]]>

Throughout history people have told fortunes with all manner of things: scattered bones, the remnants of tea leaves in a cup, tossed coins, watching birds across the sky, anything.  It has only been since the eighteenth century that Tarot has been used to divine intellectual and spiritual pathways.  Yet all of these methods stem from the same innate curiosity to know what is going to happen in advance.  The practitioners of these rituals possess an understanding that all things have a relationship to one other.  As Rachel Pollack states in Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, “everything is connected, everything has meaning and nothing occurs at random.”

In the 1930s, the investigations of ‘meaningful coincidence’ by Carl Jung and Wolfgang Pauli led to their creating a new word: synchronicity. Pollack says:

Events are synchronous when no observable cause connects them and yet a meaning exists between them. For instance, if we need to consult a certain rare book, and without any knowledge of this need someone comes to our house carrying a copy of this book, we call this conjunction synchronous.

People often use the word ‘synchronicity’ as a charm against the philosophic difficulties of events, which have no apparent cause.  When something seemingly impossible happens we say, ‘It’s synchronicity’ and escape the assault on common sense. Jung and Pauli, of course, saw the term as something more than that. They were trying to suggest that an ‘acausal principle’ could connect events as surely as the causal ones of natural law. In other words, if we bring bits of information together in a random way, free from the causal connections of conscious direction, then the acausal synchronicity will bring them together in a meaningful way. This is, of course, what happens in divination…the synchronous principle can only take over if we first remove the causal one. In other words–any method of producing random patterns–shuffling cards, throwing coins–is necessary to give the principle a chance to work.

The presence of God (or the gods if you prefer) actively rules the universe. In order to communicate with God we can either go into a trance and communicate with the Divine in the manner of the master shamans or we can let the gods speak in code through dice, bird patterns or cards. Why do these random patterns represent “God’s speech”?  Pollack answers:

Because they are random, because they do offend rational common sense; they bypass the ordinary moment-by-moment way in which people experience life. Like dreams they step outside the normal logic-bound language of conscious humanity. And by stepping outside it, they transcend it.

Going further with this train of thought we understand that God is present in all things. The gods are speaking to us all of the time. Our limited faculties do not always register this and this limitation can be seen as helpful.  For if God is all powerful, then God’s speech may overpower us. Therefore, esoteric training can help us rediscover our connectedness to everything around us, including our personal understanding of God or the gods.  Proper instruction does not only remove the etheric layer between us and the spiritual world, it helps us make correct use of the electricity of God’s speech. To go beyond our limited perceptions, we have to throw off the blinders and create synchronicity.

The information we need to activate our higher selves already exists in the randomness of the universe.  We need a bridge to carry us to conscious awareness. Tarot is that bridge.

“Alchemy is the art of manipulating life, and consciousness in matter, to help it evolve, or to solve problems of inner disharmonies.”    ~Jean Dubuis

I have been fascinated by both super-heroes and the Tarot since I was thirteen years [...]]]>

“Alchemy is the art of manipulating life, and consciousness in matter, to help it evolve, or to solve problems of inner disharmonies.”    ~Jean Dubuis

I have been fascinated by both super-heroes and the Tarot since I was thirteen years old.  I loved to immerse myself in Spider-Man’s ongoing dilemmas and the soap opera sagas of the X-Men.  I also felt a strong connection to the richly detailed figures in the Tarot.  Now that I am older, I have more clarity in how these two subjects relate to one another.  Let us explore these worlds of wonder together!

Super-heroes are symbols, heroic ideals in primary colors and tight costumes.  They embody larger than life principles, values and ideas.  Through sequential art they teach us life lessons such as Spider-Man’s well-worn adage “With great power comes great responsibility,” or through Wolverine when he says, “The key isn’t winning — or losing, it’s making the attempt. I may never be what I ought to be, want to be — but how will I know unless I try?” (as written by Chris Claremont).  Super-heroes give us hope as they tackle each success or defeat with honor, integrity and courage.  They inspire us to rise to our challenges in a similar manner.

The Tarot uses ancient archetypes to reveal information.  Each card of the Major or Minor Arcana can be used individually (like a comic book splash page) or collectively (like panels of a comic book story) to determine a story applicable to the querent.  It is important to note that the word “arcana” translates from Latin to mean “life secrets.”  The 22 Major Arcana cards are also called “Trump” cards which comes from the Latin word for “triumph.”  They teach us how to access our own hidden power.

Through symbols, both super-heroes and the Tarot use archetypal and emotional imagery to inspire us to connect with our larger than life selves.  Whether we think of it as a spiritual or a Divine connection, there is a higher vibration at work when we relate to words and images.  In her book A Magical Course in Tarot, Michele Morgan writes:

The mind relates through images, the heart through feeling, the soul through an inner connection to our divine self.  The Tarot links all three by way of universal symbolism, creating a doorway through which the intuitive senses are free to explore, gather and translate timeless spiritual wisdom.

This spiritual symbolism comes across in comic books as well.  In an August 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, writer Grant Morrison said:

How do we fight against the idea that we are doomed? We are fighting against it with the super-human story, which is that there is a future, something beyond this, if we can just get better. You may look at superheroes and just see trash, toilet paper. I’m looking at them and seeing William Blake angels.

Comic book writers like Grant Morrison (and Alan Moore) are no strangers to the mysteries of magic.  There also exists a real world connection between comic book super-heroes and the Tarot in contemporary Tarot practitioners and teachers.  Acclaimed film-maker Alejandro Jodorowsky has written profusely about the Tarot de Marseille as well as having penned the Metabarons graphic novels.  Rachel Pollack, author of the authoritative Tarot work Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, has also written a critically-acclaimed run on DC Comics’ Doom Patrol.  Clearly there is much to be learned by working with both of these systems of symbolic narrative.  May we all find the knowledge we need to transmute our lessons into wisdom!

“This is why alchemy exists,” the boy said. “So that everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. Lead will play its role until the world has no further need for lead; and then lead will have to turn itself into gold. That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” ~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

The month of March often brings to mind luck, both positive (Saint Patrick’s Day) and negative (the Ides of March).  Luck is akin to our ideas about destiny or karma, [...]]]> “Seek not greater wealth, but simpler pleasure; not higher fortune, but deeper felicity.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

The month of March often brings to mind luck, both positive (Saint Patrick’s Day) and negative (the Ides of March).  Luck is akin to our ideas about destiny or karma, the notion that whatever we do comes back to us (The Wiccan Rede).  The Wheel of Fortune (pictured above from The Aquarian Tarot) is the tenth Major Arcana card and specifically speaks to the cycles of fortune and poverty, life and death.  The Wheel brings the possibilities for rewards from our endeavors.  The Wheel turns and we learn from change.  We take risks and make decisions that affect our lives far beyond what we can see in the present.  In her book Who Are You In The Tarot?, Mary K. Greer says:

Above all, the Wheel of Fortune shows flexibility and the ability to grasp opportunities when they happen..ride the low points with as much ease as you ride the crests, knowing that such extremes are temporary and you will endure.

Are you presently riding a low point?  Is there a situation in your life that requires greater understanding?  Do you feel that someone else is at the wheel of your fortune?  Heroic Tarot can help you find the clarity you require.

As I have recently moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, my in person appointments are limited to that locale at this time.  If you reside in San Francisco–or anywhere else in the world–it would be my pleasure to provide you with a Skype or phone reading.  Here’s how that works.  If after reading my Frequently Asked Questions page you still have questions or concerns please let me know! All readings must be made by appointment, are an hour and cost $100.  Contact me to schedule yours today!

There are certain books that come into your life at the exact time that you need them and they change your perspective forever.  Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements was one of those books for me.  I realize that many people have already heard of this book’s [...]]]>

There are certain books that come into your life at the exact time that you need them and they change your perspective forever.  Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements was one of those books for me.  I realize that many people have already heard of this book’s central tenets (based on Toltec wisdom), but I believe they bear repeating.  I’ve quoted them as they are presented in the book:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

If you find these concepts to be helpful, you might be interested to know that don Miguel Ruiz and his son don Jose Ruiz have written The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self Mastery.  Don Miguel Ruiz explains:

Many years ago, I began to teach the fifth agreement, but then I discovered that no one was ready to learn the advanced Toltec teachings that underlie this agreement. The Four Agreements were enough of a challenge at the time.

The fifth agreement is ultimately about seeing our whole reality through the eyes of truth. The result of practicing this agreement is the complete acceptance of ourselves just the way we are, and the complete acceptance of everybody else just the way they are. The reward is our eternal happiness.

If you would like to learn more about Toltec wisdom and how to live the Four Agreements more fully in your life, visit don Miguel Ruiz’s site.  Gary van Warmerdam’s site Toltec Spirit is also worthwhile visit.

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”  ~Helen Keller

A week ago, I moved from San Francisco, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  The differences between the [...]]]>

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”  ~Helen Keller

A week ago, I moved from San Francisco, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  The differences between the two locales are staggering.  I can still see echoes of the bustling city, my memories overlapping with the hypnotic starkness of the wind-chapped Santa Fe countryside.  I remember the small pink flowers bursting from the trees on Lyon Street even while I am staring at the dried grasses of Nambé rising out of patches of ice.  It was raining a little bit every night when I left San Francisco.  Here it snows in the night and melts during the day.  Part of me is still in California, dancing to the city’s cadence, while the other part is finding some long needed stillness in New Mexico.  I think of the two “SF”s as sister cities, united by their patron Saint Francis of Assisi and  I look forward to finding out what else they have in common.

I am invested in making a new home and business in Santa Fe, whilst keeping in touch with loved ones and clients in San Francisco.  I think of myself as working on a balance much like that of the angel on the Temperance card who has one foot in the water and the other on the shore.  I will learn a new emotional equilibrium.  I am very grateful that technology will enable me to stay in touch with people.  Many of my former in-person reading clients have opted to continue to see me via Skype and that has always been a way for me to reach out to other states or continents when I was still in San Francisco.  Some prefer phone readings and I enjoy those as well.

I do understand how some folks might be skeptical about a reading in which they are not physically present with the reader.  One might suddenly think about all of the 1-800 psychic hotlines whose commercials dominate late night television viewing.  To those of you I ask you to remember that everything is related.  We do not have to be in corporeal space to to have a spiritual connection.  What matters most is our intention and our desire to be present.  Tarot brings this presence into focus.  Our intentions can bridge the space and the time around us (which is an illusion anyway).

Would I rather be in-person during a reading?  Of course!  I enjoy being in the same space as another’s energetic field.  There is no substitute for looking into someone’s eyes as they speak their truth.  However, it is a fact that I answer a lot more questions and give a lot more information when I give a reading on the phone or over Skype.  The social niceties that bookend an in-person hour can take up time as does all the explication.

When I have a phone/Skype appointment, I prepare myself in meditation a half hour before your call.  I pull four cards to give me an understanding of your personal situation before I speak with you.  A quick “Hello” and we quickly dive into the information in front of me.  I then listen to see if what I have seen resonates with you.  I listen to your questions and pull cards.  We take turns; you ask question and I reply with information.  Time flies because I am not explaining every nuance of all the symbols in each card.  I simply transmit meaning. Whether you and I are in the same room or not, the cards are still driven by synchronicity.  The cards that are correct for your situation still reveal themselves.

Looked at from a specific point of view, everything is a bridge.  The past, present and future are all here, right now.  We can live amidst both flowers and icy grass, blue skies and falling snow.  We are all sacred reminders that everything is connected.  All we need is an intention and the willpower to motivate that desire.  Are you dancing between worlds?  Are you working on balancing extremes?  A Tarot reading can assist you with the insight and focus you require to see what they have in common.

Contact me today for your Heroic Tarot appointment.

“A small boy looked at a star and began to weep. The star said, ‘Boy, why are you weeping?’ And the boy said, ‘You are so far away I will never be able to touch you.’ And the star answered, ‘Boy, if I were not already in your heart, you would not be able to see me.’ “
~John Magliola

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” ~T.S. Eliot